Dinner Can Wait
by sportsnightnut
Summary: When Alicia feels her phone buzz against her leg, she ignores it temporarily, knowing exactly who the message is from. AU Season 6.


**A/N:** Because sometimes drabbles turn into something ten times longer than they were intended to be, and because the end of S6 completely and utterly depressed me and I need the gang back together again. Hope you enjoy. :)

p.s. I'm relatively certain I started this a few months ago for Chrissie (at least, it was in a document entitled "For Chrissie") so I'm going to assume this is something we talked about a while ago...and that this is for you. Tee hee.

* * *

They're sitting in the conference room, going over witness prep and deposition materials with Diane and Cary when she reaches into her laptop bag and pulls out a pair of thick black frames. She slips them on discreetly as she continues to read.

"Are those new, Alicia?" Diane asks, smiling. "Those look nice on you."

"Thank you," Alicia replies evenly. "And yes, they are."

She glances at Will, noticing that the left corner of his lips is turned up in a suggestive smile. Alicia smiles as she looks back to the stack of files in front of her.

"We should probably get Kalinda and Robyn in here," Cary muses after a few minutes. "Maybe they can help make some sense of this."

Diane nods. "Yes. But after lunch. I need a break."

"Pizza?" Cary asks. "That way we don't have to go far."

"That sounds good," Diane agrees. "I'll have one of the girls call it in. I'm going to go check my messages."

As Diane and Cary rise from the table, Alicia removes the frames from her face and puts them back in their case. "I should probably go check my messages too," she says, and Will smiles.

"See you soon," he says, squeezing her hand as she passes by.

When she returns to her office, she types in her password before kneeling down to plug in her laptop. Just as her hand reaches the outlet, her phone buzzes, making a loud noise against the wooden desk.

As she stands up from beneath the desk and takes a seat in her chair, she smooths out her skirt with her hands, then reaches for the phone. It's a text from Will.

 _Nice glasses._

 _Thanks…:)_ she types. _Glad you like them._

 _Oh, I don't just like them. I love them._

 _Love them, hm? And why is that?_

 _Maybe I have some unresolved hot librarian fantasies. Or maybe you just look incredibly sexy in them._

 _Is that so?_

 _Yes. And the fact that I can't do anything about it for at least another seven hours is going to drive me crazy._

 _There are ways._

 _None that aren't completely obvious._

Alicia taps her thumb on the edge of the phone as she formulates a plan.

 _Yeah, you're probably right about that. I need to run home—forgot something this morning. Need anything while I'm there?_

 _Just you. Come back soon. And wear the glasses._

She smiles as she drops her phone in her bag and shuts the door to her office behind her.

When she returns in less than half an hour, she's changed into a white button-down, a stark contrast from her dark hair and the black frames of the glasses. She's kept the black pencil skirt, making the shirt change a little less obvious.

But Diane notices, of course, as Alicia removes a slice of pizza from the box. "You changed?"

Alicia nods as she takes a bite of the pizza. "I went home to get a change of shoes for later and spilled some juice on my blouse. This white shirt was the first thing I saw in the closet. I realize now that it probably wasn't the best idea for pizza, but…" She shrugs. "I'll just have to be careful."

As she speaks, Will acts mildly disinterested, typing on his phone with one hand with a slice of pizza in the other.

 _Forgot something at home, huh?_

She tries to stifle a giggle. _Yeah. Something about an unresolved hot librarian fantasy._

 _I hate you a little bit right now._

 _How is that possible?_

 _Because in ten minutes, you're going to put those glasses back on, then you're going to do that thing where you sweep your hair to one side while you're reading. And all I want to do is kiss your neck and ask you to undo that next button on your shirt._

 _Sounds like you're the one who needs to be careful._

Alicia drops the phone back into her bag and asks Cary to pass her a slice of the pepperoni as she makes brief eye contact with Will.

The four chat about upcoming weekend plans, and then Diane brings up the possibility of hosting a summer social for the firm.

"I thought it might build some camaraderie, some team spirit. We could always use more of that around here."

Cary nods. "Agreed. But, I'm only in if there are no matching t-shirts involved." Diane looks horrified at the mere idea of wearing a t-shirt, and Cary chuckles. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Maybe something more…how should I put this delicately…related to alcohol?" Will suggests, eliciting laughter from the group.

"Will, do you think the associates need to drink in order to spend time with you after work?" Diane teases.

"I didn't say that. But, now that we're on the subject, I can tell you that if Alicia drinks enough vodka cranberries, she'll probably be inspired to sing karaoke."

"It was just that one time!" Alicia insists, blushing a little.

"Oh, no way. I _have_ to see this," Cary says.

"Love is a Battlefield," Will adds after a bite of pizza. "Every time. And _especially_ if the bartender adds pineapple juice to the drink."

Diane smiles. "Sounds like the four of us need to spend more time together outside of the office. I wouldn't mind seeing that, myself."

Cary snaps his fingers. "I've got it. You two could sing a duet."

Alicia and Diane glance at each other. "I don't think you could handle the two of us," Diane says smoothly, grinning at her friend from across the table.

As they finish up the conversation, Alicia reaches for a napkin to wipe the crumbs from her lips before she swipes on a fresh coat of bright red lipstick.

The room is quiet as they study the documents laid out in front of them. When Alicia feels her phone buzz against her leg, she ignores it temporarily, knowing exactly who the message is from. An hour or so later, when she can sneak a peek, she smiles to herself, then rubs her lips together—a small movement, but she knows that one other person in the room will notice.

 _I think we need to go home right after work_ , it says _. Dinner can wait. I can't._


End file.
